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John Muir Biography
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John Muir Biography
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John Muir was born in Dunbar, East Lothian in 1838. He would often avoid his father by disappearing to Dunbar Beach or playing among the ruins of Dunbar Castle.
When he was 11 years old, he and his family moved to Wisconsin in America. His father had bought some wilderness land to turn into a farm. John was allowed by his father to get up at 1am when he would read and tinker with his inventions such as a thermometer and an alarm clock which tipped up his bed and threw him on the floor "The Early Rising Machine"
His nights of reading paid off as he managed to gain a place at Wisconsin University without any qualifications.
During The Civil War he was ajusting some machinery with a file when his hand slipped. A point of the file pierced one eye which he then lost the use of. The other eye soon went dark in sympathy. It was the darkest moment of his life for his spirit as well as his sight.
As his sight gradually returned over a period of months and after The Civil War he decided to explore the American wilderness and he set off on a 1000-mile treck alone and on foot. He travelled through forests,mountains,valleys and meadows, filling books with sketches and discriptions.
In 1880 he married Louise Strentzel and moved to Martinez,California and wrote his first book and a series of articles for magazines.
In 1890,Yosemite Valley became Yosemite National Park, the first national park. Many others followed such as Sequoia,Thew Grand Canyon and The Petrified Forest in Arizona.
Muir had become recognised as an explorer of America and this was reflected in his books and articles which he published giving details of his travels and adventures.
Muir died of pneumonia in a Los Angeles hospital on January 1914. He is still remembered as a great explorer both in America and Scotland.
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